Over the Summer
by AdminEmmaWeasley
Summary: Rose and Scorpius have been competing for Top of the Class since their first year. But during the summer before their final year at Hogwarts, things are about to change... Rated to be safe
1. Unexpected Beginnings

_AN: Yes, I know – I should be writing more cuteness for The Baby Chronicles... But I'm suffering from minor writer's block. A picture of Scorpius sitting in a tree, swinging his legs – that's what came into my mind and made me start writing this. I hope you enjoy _

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable – the picture isn't mine, either**

Scorpius swung his legs as he looked over the fields at her house. He grinned to himself and whistled a Muggle tune that he heard her singing so many times as he waited for her, her brother and her cousins to emerge. He plucked a few leaves off the branch he was perched on and dropped them, watching them float lazily to the grass below before plucking a few more.

Shouts from over the fields made him look up to see a group of children run out of the house. Some were Scorpius' age, but most were younger than him – including little Molly Weasley (who had just turned eleven) and Lucy (who was turning nine in March). Some of them did a cartwheel or two as they ran. Scorpius grinned again. They were always so excited when they were finally allowed to go outside. He didn't know why the children had to stay indoors until at least nine o' clock, but he guessed that it had something to do with how loud they were and how much sleep their parents wanted.

One girl, with her long, red hair, caught his eye. He could always spot her in a crowd – even in a crowd of red-headed Weasleys.

Rose.

A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.

Scorpius knew he could never talk to her – her family hated his father, and he understood why, even though his father had changed so much since his school years – but that didn't stop him admiring her from afar. She was beautiful, sure. But she was also funny and charming and incredibly intelligent. She and Scorpius were both in Ravenclaw, and they were constantly battling for the title of Top of the Class. Well, she was battling – he simply enjoyed the attention she gave him when he beat her in a test. It was usually a scowl and some remark about how she would beat him in the next one, but to have her eyes on him for those few seconds made his day brighter.

"Oi! Malfoy!" A strong voice shook Scorpius out of his daze. "What are you staring at?"

Scorpius squinted to see James Sirius, the eldest cousin (except for the two girls in France) glaring in his direction.

"I enjoy watching you all play," Scorpius hollered back.

"What?"

"You heard!"

"Well, stop watching us! Freak!"

Scorpius sighed. Most of the students at Hogwarts knew his father, the Death Eater. But within a week of Scorpius being at Hogwarts, most of the students also knew that he was very different to how his father had been in school. Of course, his father was also very different, but none of them knew that.

But the Potters and Weasleys never seemed to grasp that concept. Scorpius knew they were all clever enough – indeed, they were all very clever – but their parents (especially Mr Potter and Mr Weasley) had probably told them all sorts of stories about his father.

"Shut up, James," an all-too-familiar voice suddenly snapped. Scorpius stared as she turned in his direction and shouted, "Scorpius! Would you like to join us?"

Scorpius almost fell out of the tree.


	2. Happiness and Trust

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable – the picture isn't mine, either**

Rose lay in bed that night, grinning at the ceiling as she listened to her father snoring in the room next hers and Lily's. Scorpius had, shockingly, said yes to her invitation. Of course, her father had barely been able to contain his rage when he saw the blonde hair in amongst the red, but she had quickly convinced him that Scorpius was different.

Sure, they were incredibly competitive, but she kind of liked it. Whenever he beat her on a test, he would look at her; his grey eyes would dance, almost as if they were teasing her. Up until now, she hadn't really known how to react, so she had snapped at him. But she had finally realised that it was because she was trying to not smile.

A Weasley and a Malfoy. How ridiculous.

And yet, she couldn't get him out of her mind. Merlin, that was clichéd, but it was true. The way he had run alongside her and her cousins, the way he had laughed just as loudly as the others at the jokes flying around, the way he had flopped onto the grass when he was too tired to run any more – she couldn't stop grinning at the memories of the day.

She had to get it out.

She sat up, grabbed a quill and some parchment and sat by the window in the bright moonlight. She started scratching away, pausing every now and then and nibbling on the end of her quill before continuing. Finally, she grinned at the page, slid it into the bottom drawer of her bed-side cabinet and went to sleep.

She was awoken by voices downstairs. She groaned and turned over, wanting to go back to sleep, but it sounded as if there was an argument going on. She sighed and got up, knowing that if Hugo and Albus were arguing again, she would be the one who would have to break it up.

But it wasn't her brother and cousin. It was her father and cousin.

"How could you let him come here?!" Ron shouted.

"Rose invited him, not me!" James shouted back before seeing Rose and adding, "Ask her yourself!"

Rose sighed, knowing what was to come. She listened as her father told her exactly what he thought of the Malfoys before saying calmly, "Scorpius is not his father."

Ron glared at her, then seemed to realise what he was doing. He closed his eyes and sighed, sinking into the nearest chair. "I'm sorry, Rose," he muttered. "You know what he did."

"I know, Dad," she answered softly, "but I've known Scorpius for six years, and I know that he isn't like that. The whole school knows. And I've heard rumours that his father has changed. He doesn't believe in blood purity and he certainly doesn't take pride in being a Death Eater. He knows he was lucky to escape Azkaban."

"And he avoided Azkaban for a reason," Uncle Harry added as he came down the stairs. "You're absolutely right, Rose. He has changed. I have been talking with Neville, and he agrees. You need to calm down, Ron," he said quietly. "If Rose wants him here – well, I trust her judgement. Don't you?"

Ron looked at his best friend, sighed and said, "Yes. I trust her judgement completely."


	3. Ferrets and Picnics

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable **

Scorpius grinned at his toast. Yesterday had been one of the most wonderful days of his life. From where he stood, it seemed as though the Potters and Weasleys had accepted him almost instantly.

"And what makes you so cheerful this morning, my boy?" Draco asked with a knowing smile. He remembered full well how he hadn't been able to stop grinning when Astoria had first agreed to be his girlfriend. Now, with his wife sitting beside him, Draco could tell that a similar joy had captured his son.

"Rose Weasley invited me to their house yesterday," Scorpius said softly, still grinning.

"Ah," Draco said, winking at his wife. "I see."

"I thought you said she hated you, dear?" Astoria asked.

"I thought she did," Scorpius replied. "But apparently, she doesn't anymore."

"That's wonderful to hear," Astoria gushed.

"I think..." Scorpius finally looked up at his parents. "I think they knew that we're different."

"Well, it took them long enough..." Draco mumbled. Astoria hit him playfully and he winced dramatically.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, but still couldn't wipe the grin off his face. He was quite used to the antics of his parents, but he was happy. So happy.

His cat, Ferret, jumped into his lap. He grinned and stroked her softly, crooning, "Hello, love. Do you want some breakfast?"

Draco groaned and looked away – for some reason, the name Ferret made him uncomfortable – but Astoria chuckled and got up to feed Ferret.

"Are you going there again, son?" Draco asked as Scorpius finished off his cup of tea. "You could take some food with you, to share with them. If I know anything about the Weasleys, they love their food."

Scorpius chortled. "I don't know if I'm going, Dad. They didn't invite me, and I don't want to assume anything."

"Fair enough. But if they invite you again, come inside and get some food to take with you."

"Thanks, Dad," Scorpius said as he put his cup in the sink and dashed outside. He deftly climbed the tallest tree in the garden and sat on one of the higher branches. He swung his legs as he gazed over the fields, just waiting for them to appear.

It was quite a while before they did. Squeals and shouts echoed through the morning air as the Potters and Weasleys finally raced out of the house and into the sun. Scorpius grinned, instantly catching sight of Rose, who seemed to be telling James something dreadfully important. The two cousins were walking behind their rambunctious relatives, with serious looks on their faces.

Suddenly, they both turned to look in Scorpius' direction. He felt his heart race. They both waved at him, and he waved back.

"Join us?" James shouted.

Scorpius grinned and shouted back, "Sure! I'll just grab us some snacks!"

Scorpius couldn't tell from where he sat, but the cousins looked extremely confused. "That sounds great!" Rose shouted as Scorpius began climbing down.

Scorpius dashed into the house and raced around the kitchen, grabbing whatever he thought they might like. Astoria watched him dotingly for a little while before quietly helping him. Soon he was trotting over with a large picnic basket full of food.

"Look at that!" James said as the rest of the children joined him, Rose and Scorpius.

"I think you may have just won Uncle Ron's heart, Scorpius," little Lucy chuckled.


	4. Heroes and Villians

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable **

Scorpius lay on his back and closed his eyes, sighing in contentment. Rose glanced at him and smiled. The others had run off again – how they could run after eating through such a huge amount of food had puzzled Scorpius immensely – leaving the two of them alone. She turned the page of her book and continued to read quietly. Her cousins called her a nerd for studying during the summer, but they had been doing that for years and it didn't bother her. Hugo knew better than to comment on it – one day when Rose had been feeling particularly self-conscious about her intelligence, he had been hexed out of the house after such a comment.

Sure, she had her mother's intelligence, but she had her father's temper, and she certainly had her Aunt's Bat-Bogey hexing abilities.

"Which book?" Scorpius asked, propping himself up on his elbow so that he could peek at the page.

"Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven," Rose replied without looking away from the book.

"Studying? During summer?"

Rose didn't respond.

"I thought I was the only one who did that."

Rose stared at him, nearly dropping her book in her surprise. "What?" She squeaked.

He smirked. "You heard."

"You study during the summer break, too?"

"Sure do," he said with a sigh, flopping onto his back again. "But you've got your cousins here! The Potters live elsewhere, don't they? They only stay here over the summer."

"Yeah, they do. We all prefer to be together for the summer. Christmas Day is the same, but the rest of those holidays are spent... Well, just us." Scorpius nodded. Rose knew that he didn't have a large extended family. "Does your father make you study?" She asked. Her eyes widened as she realised what she had said.

Luckily, he chortled. "No! I want to stay ahead, that's all."

Rose smiled at her book. "Me too," she said softly.

"Ahead of me?" He asked. She could see the twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes," she admitted.

"And I wanted to stay ahead of you," he said calmly.

"Oh."

"My father's great, you know. He was so proud when he heard that I had been sorted into Ravenclaw. I think he was afraid I'd be in Slytherin."

Rose looked at him, not bothering to hide her confusion. "But he was in Slytherin?"

"Exactly."

Rose stared at her book. "Oh."

"Yeah."

They stayed quiet for a while. Scorpius seemed content to lie in the sun with his eyes closed and a smile playing on his lips. Rose stared at her book without taking in a word of it.

"And what about your parents?" Scorpius asked.

"What about them?"

"Well... I know that I get judged a lot because of my father. Do you get judged a lot based on who your parents are?"

"Yeah. All the time. It used to really bug me – I felt like I wasn't my own person. But now I realise why everyone saw me only as Ron and Hermione's daughter. The things they did... What Uncle Harry did..." Rose chuckled before saying softly, "They truly are heroes."

It took her a few seconds to realise that Scorpius was looking at her. No, not looking – gazing.

And she found herself gazing back.


	5. No Invitation Required

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable**

For the next week or so, Scorpius would climb the huge tree in his garden every morning. And every morning, one of the Potters or Weasleys would ask him to come over. He would grin, race into the house to fill the picnic basket with food and trot over to the grinning children. Soon, the younger ones were flocking around him, asking him about his father and – in young Lucy's case – getting piggy-back rides. Scorpius was quite a tall young man and years of Quidditch had made him strong, so it was easy for him to dash around the fields with a giggling eight-year-old on his back.

Every now and then, he would notice Rose watching him and smiling. He would grin back before one of the younger ones asked him something else.

"You know," she said as everyone ate on Saturday afternoon, "you don't need to climb that tree and wait for us to invite you over."

He looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you can just come over."

"Well," he said, "as long as everyone is alright with..."

Molly, Lucy, Lily and Hugo interrupted him with their enthusiastic replies, making Scorpius chuckle.

"Say you'll come tomorrow," Lily Luna said, her big green eyes focused on him.

He smiled. "I'll come."

"Promise?" Lily insisted.

"I promise."

Lily Luna grinned up at him while the others cheered. Scorpius grinned back. Sure, he had friends at Hogwarts, and Quidditch had made him rather popular. But for some reason, he felt at home with the rambunctious group. It seemed so much more... Right. Scorpius chuckled to himself. He didn't really know what to think of it. All he knew was that he wanted it to be like this for a very long time.

It wasn't long before plans had been made to have a bonfire that night, and Scorpius dashed back to his house to ask if he could stay for it.

"You should take some treats," Astoria insisted, flitting around the kitchen and pulling out sweets and Muggle marshmallows.

"Thanks, Mum," he said, quickly kissing her on the cheek before leaving. He didn't see his father proudly watch him race back to the Potters and Weasleys.

It was at least midnight before Scorpius returned home. Draco wandered downstairs to find his son asleep on the sofa, with Ferret curled up next to him. Draco smiled softly and conjured a blanket to drape over him before going back upstairs.

"Was it him?" Astoria whispered.

"Yes," Draco replied softly. "He fell asleep on the couch."

Astoria chuckled. "He hasn't done that for years. He must be so tired."

Draco nodded as he got into bed. "I think Rose Weasley is getting the best of him again," he sighed, wrapping an arm around Astoria's waist and gently pulling her closer. "But not by beating him in a test. That girl has him baffled."

"Our boy is certainly growing up," Astoria whispered, and Draco could hear the sadness in her voice. He softly kissed her and she smiled. "Let's hope his seventh year isn't as rough as yours was," she said quietly.

Draco sighed, glancing at his arm. "It won't be," he promised. "It couldn't possibly be."


	6. Making Connections

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable**

Unfortunately, the sunshine didn't last. Rose gazed out of the window into the rain, hoping that Scorpius would still keep his promise and come. She had tried reading a book by the fire, but had quickly given up when she realised that she wasn't taking in a word of it.

She could tell that her father was hoping Scorpius would break his promise, but she knew that it was only because he had never forgotten how Mr Malfoy had treated him. He wasn't convinced that Mr Malfoy had changed.

Perhaps that needed to be rectified.

Rose grinned as she saw a tall young man sprinting towards the house. The family picnic basket was in his right hand, and his left hand was holding a Muggle umbrella over his head. She ran for the door and flung it open just as Scorpius reached it. He scuttled inside and she shut the door before saying, "Hi!"

"Hi," he grinned. She took the basket from him and he put his umbrella down.

"Here," Rose said, offering him the basket in exchange for the umbrella, which she slipped into the umbrella stand in the corner. "Make yourself comfortable," she added with a smile.

"Scorp!"

Lily Luna, Molly and Lucy ran down the stairs and tackle-hugged him. He laughed out loud as he wrapped his arms around all three of them.

"You came!" Lily Luna exclaimed, and he playfully ruffled her hair.

"Of course I came! I promised, didn't I?"

She grinned as Rose's mother came down the stairs. She smiled and said, "Scorpius! It's good to see you again."

"Thank you, Mrs Weasley."

"James, Albus, Hugo and Fred will be down in a minute," she commented before asking, "How are your parents?"

"They're good, thanks. They start back at work tomorrow."

"So do Ron and Harry. I have a few more days before I have to go back to work. And, of course, Ginny's still not well enough to play yet."

"Is her ankle getting any better?"

"It's looking quite good today, actually. I think the cold weather has helped."

"Well," Ron started, "Ginny's going to have a quick recovery, then. Looks like this rain isn't going anywhere for a few days, at least."

The children all groaned. The thought of being stuck inside for so long was maddening. Rose noticed that Scorpius looked as though he was thinking very hard, but before she could ask about it, the boys were stampeding down the stairs.

"Teddy's promised to come!" Hugo shouted.

"And Uncle George and Fred are coming back!" Albus added.

"Teddy's bringing Vicky," Hugo grinned.

"And Fred says he found a toad!" Albus smirked.

"Teddy doesn't think Dom and Louis will come, though," Hugo said with a frown.

"And Aunty Angelina says that her and Roxy are staying for two more days," Albus said with a frown.

Rose smiled and whispered to Scorpius (who was looking rather baffled), "Those two are like twins. Uncle George says that they remind him of how he and his twin used to be."

Scorpius looked at her, and she could see the sadness in his eyes. "Used to be?"

She nodded slowly. "Uncle Fred..."

"Oh, Merlin," Scorpius said softly. "I didn't even make the connection. Dad told me about two pranking twins that went to Hogwarts when he was there... And I knew Fred had... But I..."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "I know. Our family is pretty huge, and it's hard to keep track, even for us sometimes! You'll get it all in your head somehow, Scorp."


	7. Scorp Plays Chess

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable**

Scorp.

Plenty of people had called him that over the years. But when Rose had said it, it had sounded wonderful. He would have given anything to hear her call him that again. But Lucy had asked for another piggy back, starting an animated discussion between her and Molly about the practicality of giving piggy backs indoors, and James had called Rose over to read Teddy's letter, and Hugo and Albus had bounced over to Scorpius and challenged him to a game of Exploding Snap. That, in turn, had escalated into an Exploding Snap tournament, with three games going at once. In the end, Rose and James were in the 'finals', facing off to see which of them would be named the Exploding Snap champion. It took a long time, but Rose won out, and James had to promise to give her flying lessons when the sun came out again.

Of course, Scorpius would have been more than happy to teach her.

Now, Rose was sitting in what looked like an extremely comfortable arm chair, reading a book. Scorpius had already determined that it indeed the book of spells that she had been reading earlier that week. The other children had already gone to bed, except for James, who was polished his broom.

"Scorpius?"

Scorpius turned and tried to hide his surprise.

"Rose tells me you enjoy playing Wizards Chess," Rose's father continued.

"Uh, yes, sir. Yes, I do," Scorpius stammered.

"Would you like to play a game with me?" Mr Weasley asked, motioning towards the Wizards Chess set on the coffee table.

"Sure," he said, getting up and pulling his seat over to the table. Ron sat in the chair opposite Scorpius and made the first move.

Out of the corner of his eye, Scorpius saw Rose look up from her book and smile. He grinned as he played, and on asked him about his opinion on several things throughout the game: politics, the rights of house elves, life after Hogwarts, his parents. Scorpius took his time answering these questions – he knew that Mr Weasley was doing much more than simply making polite conversation. Mr Weasley was very patient and waited for each answer, and seemed pleased enough with what Scorpius had to say.

Of course, Mr Weasley won. Scorpius was a talented player, but he knew that Rose's father was brilliant, so the loss wasn't surprising.

"Well played, Scorpius," Mr Weasley said, and Scorpius wondered whether he had meant the chess game or the answers to his questions.

"Thanks, Mr Weasley."

"Scorpius?"

"Yes, Rose?"

"I'm not quite sure about this spell – could you have a look?"

"Sure," Scorpius said, glancing at Mr Weasley (who eyed Rose suspiciously but said nothing) before getting up and peeking at the page she was reading. "That is confusing," he mumbled, leaning on the back of the armchair. "They've worded that really strangely."

"Yeah, they have," she agreed softly, looking up at him. He had never been this close to her before, and he instantly realised that her eyes were a much brighter blue than he remembered.

It was another hour before Rose announced that she was going to bed, and Scorpius said that he should be getting home. As Rose walked past him, she whispered in his ear, "Well done, Scorp."


	8. Plans

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable**

The next day, Rose found out exactly what Scorpius had been thinking so hard about. He turned up early and asked to speak with the adults alone. Confused and curious, Rose had bustled the early risers upstairs and peeked back down them to see him speaking quietly. Her father frowned, but her mother, Uncle Harry and Aunty Ginny all grinned and nodded. Scorpius grinned before looking towards the stairs. Rose ducked out of sight just in time and scuttled back to her waiting cousins.

Scorpius bounded up the stairs and whispered to Rose, "Would your cousins like to come to my grandmother's house for the day? It's so big, they'll never know they aren't outside."

Rose stared at him. Molly and Lucy cheered so loudly that they woke the entire house up. Soon everyone was bustling around, collecting everything they thought they might need.

"What about your grandfather?" Rose asked Scorpius quietly. "Is he alright with us coming?"

He looked at her, with confusion in his eyes. "You don't know? He's in Azkaban. Has been for years."

"Oh," Rose whispered.

"It's alright," Scorpius said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You'll get it all in your head, somehow," he added with a grin, and she chuckled. "Is everyone ready?" Scorpius asked loudly.

The replies came back mangled, but they all sounded positive. "Let's go, then!" Scorpius chuckled, leading the way to the fire place. "I'll go first, to let grandmother know that we're coming."

"Wait! Scorpius!" Everyone turned to stare at Rose, but she ignored their obvious confusion. "I was hoping that your parents would like to have dinner with our parents."

Scorpius grinned at her. "They'd love it! Perhaps we could all have dinner together at Grandmother's house tonight? It's certainly big enough."

"That sounds perfect," Rose's mother said, and Aunty Ginny nodded. Rose grinned at her, and she smiled back before going to tell her father and Uncle Harry, who were getting ready for work.

Luckily, the youngest ones had already Floo'd away before Rose's father began shouting out curse words.


End file.
